Allen the top Jamaican in action on Day One of NCAA Champs

Jamaica's top two 400 metres runners, the University of Auburn's Nathon Allen and Akeem Bloomfield, will be two of six Jamaicans in action today when the four-day National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division 1 Track and Field Championships begin in Eugene, Oregon.

Nine athletes in the 400m have gone under 45 seconds and come Friday's final a sub-44 seconds, time could be on the cards.

Allen, who clocked a season's and personal best 44.28 to win the South East Conference title some four weeks ago, will start the favourite. The former St Jago High man will run out of lane four in semi-final two when the event gets under way at 8 p.m Ja time.

His teammate, Bloomfield, with a season's best 44.90, will run out of lane six in the third heat.

The other top contenders in the event are Nathon Strother of the University of Tennessee (44.34), Michael Norman of the University of Southern California (44.40), and University of Kentucky's Dwight St. Hillaire, 44.55.

The 100m semi-finals will also be run today. Former St Jago sprinter Raheem Chambers of Auburn, and Purdue University's Waseem Williams will be among the starters.

World Championships 400 metres hurdles finalist, Kemar Mowatt of the University of Arkansas, will also br in action on the track today. He has a season's best of 49.32 seconds.

Former Cornwall College representative, Odaine Lewis, competing for Texas Technical University, will line up in the men's long jump final slated for 8 p.m. He has a season's best of 8.08 metres.